Radiator and the like



May 27, 1930. s, A 1,760,505

RADIATOR AND THE LIKE Filed Jul 20, 1927 //V VIA 70f? Patented May 27., 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EDWARD S. LEA, OF MORBISVILLE,' PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO CARRIER CON:-

terchange devices,

I traction thereof, so as frequently for STRUCTION comrm, me,

OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY RADIATOR'AND TH LIKE Application filed July 20, 1927. Serial No. 207,103.

The invention relates to tubular heat inradiators or heaters of that kind composed of separate radiating tubes connected to a header or headers, more particularly to improvements in radiators or heaters of this type in which the tubes have relatively thiga walls and'are made of copper-or other material of suitable conductivity, and the tube plates, Walls or parts of the headers to which the tubes are joined are relatively thin plates of brass or other suitable material adapted to give or flex' readily with changes in dimensions or form of the parts-due to the expansion and conto prevent distortion, straining or rupture of joints or other parts of the radiator or header.

Radiators or headers of this character, while adapted for various purposes and for either heating or cooling air or other media, are employed extensively in automatically controlled heating and ventilating systems for buildings in which the steam or medium used in the radiator for heating or determining the temperature of the air that is delivered to the building, off, or its supply to the radiator quired, the temperature of the air, and owing i to the great radiation and rapid conductivity of the metal forming the tubes and tube plates, these parts are subject to sudden and frequent changes in size or form, due to the rapid fluctuations in temperature thereof. It is, of course, essential to connect the tubes and tube platesby joints which will withstand the severe strains thus put upon them and the internal pressure of the fluid in the radiator without leaking, opening up or breaking, but because of the relative thinness of the metal of the tubes and tube plates, the problem of making perfectly tight, strong and durable joints has been found much more diflicult of solution than in constructions in which the tubes and tube plates are relatively thick and afford larger and stronger cont-acting areas.

One object of my invention is to solve this problem and provide a novel joint or connection for the tubes and tube plates or analand is turned on and changed varying or controlllng, as re-- ogous parts of devices, such as heaters and radiators of the character mentioned, which will ensure tight, strong and durable joints between the parts. Other objects of the invention are to construct the joints so that, notwithstanding the comparative thinness of the walls of the tubes and the walls to. which they are joined, relatively large contacting or bearing areas are provided between the connected parts which are positively held against relative movement by integral interengaging portions of said parts, whereby when the parts are soldered together, strong and reliable solder i joints will be produced; also to provide a simple and practical construction for equalizing the distribution of the steam or other medium to the several tubes of the device; and also to improve the construction of devices of the character mentioned in the other respects hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings: 1

Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of a radiator in which the tubes are connected to'the header by join-ts embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional View on a scale much larger than full size, of one of the joints.

Fig. 3 is a section showing the tube and tube plate before connection.

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the tube seated in the flanged hole of "the tube plate.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing the end of the tube split preparatory to turning the split end of the tube over the flange of the tube plate.

Fig. 6 is a broken, sectional elevation showing the joints and ferrules employed at the opposite ends of a tube.

The radiator illustrated in the drawings as one embodiment of my invention, comprises upper and lower headers 10 and 11 connected by separate, spaced radiating tubes 12 so that a fluid medium supplied to one of the headers, for example the upper header, can flow through the several radiating tubes to the other header, from which it is adapted to discharge. Each header preferably comprises. two complementary parts or sections suitably joined at their peripheral edges, and in the construction shown in the drawings, one of these sections is a hollow, pressed, metal shell 13, and the other, a tube plate or wall 14, which is connected by a lock seam joint 15 with the peripheral edge of the hollow section and is formed with holes surrounded by inwardly projecting flanges 16, in each of which one of the radiator tubes is secured at one end. The wall 14 in which the tubes are secured, is made of sheet metal or a metal plate which is thin enough to permit the wall to flex or give readily under the expansion and contraction of the radiating tubes, and as ordinarily constructed, this wall is flexible enough to permit deflection of the same in opposite directions at different points, as may be necessar to accommodate the unequal expansion an contraction of adjacent or different tubes. The radiatin tubes shown have relatively thin walls and maybe made of copper or other metal of suitably high conductivity, and they are preferably provided with projecting radiating fins 17 formed by a thin, metal strip wound helically around and soldered or otherwise suitably secured to each tube. In so far as this invention is concerned, however, except for the construction of the joints hereinafter described between the radiating tubes and the flexible tube plate or wall of the header, the radiator may be of'any suitable form and construction.

The flexibl% tube plate wall 14 can be formed by stamping or drawing to provide the holes therein surrounded by the inwardly projectingfla-nges 16 for the reception of the ends of the radiating tubes. Interiorly, each flange 16 is cylindrical or of uniform internal diameter from end to end except for the rounded corner 18 formed in the drawing operation at the juncture of the flange with the wall 14, and the flange is preferably of slightly smaller internal diameter than the initial external diameter of the portion 19 of the tube which is to fit in the flange, said portion 19 of the tube being preferably -made cylindrical and of such external diameter that by forcibly pressing the tube into the flanged hole, the portion 19 of the tube is slightly compressed, or the flange 16 slightly ex anded, or both, and a tight or driven fit o flanged hole thereby efi'ected. The tube is also preferably provided with an integral, external projection or circumferential shoulder 20 which is adapted to engage or bear firmly against the rounded edge 18 of the flanged hole at the outer side of the wall 14 when the tube has been fully pressed into place in the ole. This shoulder acts 'as a sto which prevents inward movement of the tu e relative to the tube plate in the completed joint. The shoulder can be provided on the tube by any suitable formation or construction of the tube, but it is preferably formed by compressing the end portion of the tube so as tomake the the tube in the of 'the tube, however,

portion 19 of the tube of less diameter than the adjoining portion of the tube. By thus compressing the end portion of the tube to smaller diameter, the metal in the reduced portion 19 is made denser or thicker, thereby strengthening it. Another advantage in thus reducing the end portion of the tube is that while the commercial tubes may vary somewhat in diameter, the end portions 19 of all of the tubes can be readily brought by suitable dies or machinery, accurately to the size required to give the desired driven fit in the flanged holes of the tube plate or wall. When pressing the tubes into holes of the tube plate, they are forced into the flanged holes until the shoulders 20 of the tubes at the outer ends of the flanged holes, and then continued pressure is exerted on the tubes so that the flanged holes of the tube plate act as dies on the shouldered portions of the tubes and shape the shoulders so as to cause them to seat firmly against and conform accurately to the edges 18 of the flanged holes. The tube plate is ordinarily made of brass which is harder than the copper tubes, and since the tube plate is held in asuitable die when the tubes are being forced into it, it is adapted to produce this die forming action on the shoulders 20 of the tubes. I

After the tubes have been driven or pressed into the flanged holes of the tube plate, as explained, the portion of each tube projecting inwardly beyond the inner end of the flange 16 is split longitudinally at several points, said splits 21 extending substantially to the inner end of the flange 16, and the split end portion of the tube expanded or flared outwardly beyond the inner end of the flange, as shown in Fig. 5. .The tube can be thus split and expanded by a suitable die inserted in the end of the tube. Thereafter the end parts of the tube between the splits 21 are turned outwardly and backwardly over the flange 16 to the position shown in Fig. 2. The operation of bending the end of the tube over the end of the flange tends to compress the metal at the inner side of the bend and stretch it at the outer side of the bend, and practice has shown that if the tube is not first split, as explained, the turned-over portion the tube will not always engage firmly against the end of the flange 16. By splitting as explained and shown at 21, the portions of the end-of the tube between the' splits will bend sharply over the inner edge of the flan e 16, and in fact, cause the mner edge of the r ange 16 to actually bite 1n to the metal of the tube, as indicated at 22, Fig. 2. When forming the flanges 16 on the tube plate or wall, the draft on the metal in the punching or drawing operation causes the end edge of the flange 16 to recede slightly outwardly and form an acute angle at the mner corner 22 of the flange. This acute angle formation increases the tendency of this engage the edges 18' Thus, the flange on the tube plate is firmly anchored between the shoulder 20 and the opposed, bent-over inner end of the tube, and the tube is very rigidly held against movement either inwardly or outwardly relative to the tube plate or header wall.

I have found that the forcing of the tube into the flanged hole tends to bow or deflect the wall of the tube slightly inwardly away from the flange between the inner and outer ends of the latter so that the cylindrical portion of the tube does not contact perfectly with the inner surface of the flange 16 throughout the whole length of the flange. Therefore, when the joints were soldered after being formed, the solder would not sweat in between these surfaces and form a perfect solder joint between the same throughout their length.

This objection is overcome by forcing a ferrule 25 into the reduced end of the tube after the end of the tube has been turned or bent over the flange 16. The ferrule 25'is cylindrical and of an external diameter such that when it is forced into the tube it will straighten out and press the portion 19 of the tube outwardly and produce a close frictional contact between the outer surface of the portion 19 of the tube throughout its length and the internal surface of the flange 16. The tubeand tube plate are tinned or provided with surface films of solder before the tube is forced into the flangedhole of the plate, and when soldering the joint after it has been completed by insertingthe ferrule 25, the heat will cause the solder on the surfaces of the tube and flanges 16 to flow and form a perfect solder joint between the tube and the flange throughout the length of the flange. The completed joints between the several tubes and the tube plate may be soldered in any suitable manner, as by dipping the tube plate with the attached tubes into molten solder. The solder enters the joints between the turned-over ends of the tubes and the external surfaces of the flanges16, and between the ferrules and the tubes, as well as between the internal surfaces of the flanges 16 and the eXternalsurface of the tubes. thereby forming very strong, reliable and durable joints between the tubes and the tube plates.

As shown in the drawings, the ferrules 25 and 26 used in the opposite ends of the tubes are of slightly different formation. The ferrules 26 in the upper or inlet ends of the tubes are preferably provided with reduced or contracted inner ends having holes or fluid passages which are of smaller diameter than the holes in the inner ends of the ferrules 25 in the outlet ends of the tubes. The fluid passages in the upper or inlet ferrules are preferably small enough relatively to the internal diameters of the tubes to obstruct or restrict sufficiently the flow of the fluid into the'tubes, to thereby equalize the distribution of the steam or fluid to the several tubes of the radiator. The ferrules 25 at the opposite or outlet ends of the tubes are preferably lar e enough at their inner ends so as not to o struct the free passage of the steam or fluid from the tubes or form internal shoulders in the tubes-of sufficient size to prevent the free discharge of water of condensation from the tubes. The ferrules are preferably provided with out-turned flanges 27 at their outer ends adapted to bear against the portions of the tubes which are bent over the ends of the flanges 16.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a radiator or the like, the combination of a thin flexible wall provided with a hole surrounded by an integral inwardly projecting flange of said wall, and a thin walled radiating tube having a portion fitting tightly in said flanged hole, said tube and wall having integral portions adapted to abut to oppose further inward movement of the tube in said flanged hole,'the inner end of the tube being split and turned over and engaging the inner end of said flange, whereby said tube is secured against outward movement in said flanged hole, said tube and hole flange being united by a fused metal joint.

2. In a radiator or the like, the combination of a thin flexible wall provided with a hole surrounded by an integral inwardly proj ecting flange of said wall, said flange having a substantially cylindrical inner surface, and a thin walled radiating tube of sub stantially uniform wall thickness throughout secured in said flanged hole, said tube having a substantially cylindrical portion which has a driven'fit in said flange, said tube and wall having integral portions adapted to abut to oppose inward movement of said tube in said flanged hole, the inner end of the tube being split and turned over and. engaging inner end of said flange, whereby said tube is secured against outward movement in said flanged hole, said tube and hole flange being soldered together. e

3. In a radiator or the like, the combination of a header having a thin flexible wall provided with holes surrounded by integral inwardly projecting flanges on said wall, and a radiating tube having a portion fitting tightly in each of said flanged holes, said tube having an integral external projection which engages the outer end edge of said flanged hole and having the inner end of the tube split and turned back over the inner end of said flange and against said inner end and the outer surface of said flange, whereby said tube is secured against inward and outward mgvement in said flanged hole, and, solder joints being formed betweensaid tube and pressing the wall of hole flange at the inner and outer sides of said flange. v

4. In a radiator or the like, the combination of a header having a thin'flexible wall provided with holes surrounded by integral inwardly projecting flanges on said wall, and a radiating tube having a portion fitting tightly in each of said flanged holes, said tube having the inner end thereof split and turned over the inner edge of said hole flange, with the internal edge of the inner end of the flange biting into the metal of the turned-over portion of the tube.

5. In a radiator or the like, the combination of a thin flexible wall provided with a hole surrounded by an integral inwardly projectin flange on said wall, and a thin walled tu e having a portion fitting tightly in said flanged hole, said tube having the inner end thereof split and turned over the inner edge of said hole flange, and a ferrule having a driven fit in the portion of the tube located within said flange and pressing the wall of the tube into frictional contact with the interior surface of the hole flange.

6. In a radiator or the'like, the combination of a header having a thin flexible wall provided with holes surrounded by integral inwardly projecting flanges on saidwall, and a radiating tube having a portion fitting ti htly in each of said flanged holes, said tdbe and flanged hole having engaging portions which secure the tube against inward and outward movement in said flanged hole, driven fit in the portion within said flange and the tube into frictional contact with the interior surface of the hole flange.

of the tube located 7. In a radiator or the like, the combina-- tion of a header havinga thin flexible wall provided with holes surrounded by integral inwardly projecting flanges on said wall, and

a radiating tube having a portion fitting ti htly in each of said flanged holes, said tu having the inner'end thereof split and turned over the inner edge of said hole flange, a ferrule having. a driven fit in the portion of the tube located within said flange and pressing the wall ofthe tube into frictional contact with the interior surface of the hole flange, and solder joints being formed between said tube and hole flange at the inner and outer sides of said flange and between the ferrule and the tube.

8. In a radiator or the like, the combination of a header having a thin flexible wall provided with holes surrounded by integral inwardly projecting flanges on said wall, and a radiating tube having a portion fitting ti htly in each of said flanged holes, said tu and flanged hole having engaging portions which secure the tube against inward and outward movement in said flanged hole, and a ferrule having a driven fit in the portubes having larger tion of the tube located within said flange and pressing the wall of the tube into frictional contact with the interior surface of the hole flange, said ferrule having a restricted passage for the fluid of materially less diameter than the internal diameter of the tube for obstructing the flow of fluid into I the tube.

9. In a radiator or the like, the combination of opposite headers having thin flexible walls provided with holes surrounded by integral flanges on said walls, radiating tubes having portions fittin tightly in said flanged holes, said tubes and anged holes having engaging portions which secure the tubes against inward and outward movement in said flanged holes, and ferrules having driven fits in the portions of the tube located in said flanges and pressing the walls of the tubes outward y into frictional contact with the internal surfaces of said hole flanges, the ferrules at the inlet ends of the tubes having restricted passages for the flow of the fluid, and the ferrules at the opposite ends of the flow passages for the fluid.

10. In a heat interchange device, the combination of a thin flexible wall provided with a hole surrounded by an integral inwardly projecting flange on said wall, and a thin walled tube having a portion fitting tightly in said flanged hole, said tube having the inner end thereof split and turned over the inner edge of said hole flange-with the internal edge of the inner end of the flange biting into thfi metal of the turned-over portion of the tu e.

11L In a heat interchange device, the combination of a thin flexible wall provided with a hole surrounded by an integral inwardly projectin flange on. said wall, and a thin Walled tu e having a in said flanged hole, said tube having the inner end thereof turned over the inner edge of said hole flange, and a ferrule having a driven fit in the ortion of the tube located within said hole ange and pressing the wall of the tube outwardly into close contact with the interior surface of the hole flange, said tube and hole flange being joined by fused portion fitting tightly 

